Here’s hoping one day our AI will be better than the bad guys’ AI and we won’t have to worry about ransomware and its offspring. In the meantime, I like to think about more positive and exciting developments in technology, like chatbots and conversational intelligence.

Thanks to our loooong weekend, this week’s list of learning events is much shorter than usual—which is why I took the liberty of sharing so many good reads. Please add anything I missed to the comments.

If your organization has a webinar scheduled in the near future, please send me the link. I’ll be happy to feature it as long as it’s not too product-centric.

Thu 7/6 at 12 p.m.* – Member Retention: The Many Faces of Engagement

Engagement isn’t solely defined by transaction—it comes from connecting with colleagues, volunteering for an organization, or thought leadership. Explore the many paths associations use to increase member involvement and subsequent retention. Learn how to define and measure engagement, and how to track that measurement based on retention and recruitment. Hear about varying dues models: getting people to want to belong, before you charge them to belong. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.

Explore how to quickly and effectively launch a podcast without fear and use it to build momentum around your learning initiatives. Learn how a podcast works and how to get started, the required technology and best practices, and marketing tactics to drive participation and build a following. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour. More info/register.

Host: CommPartners

Presenter: Doug Sandler, host of “Nice Guys on Business” podcast

Thu 7/6 at 1 p.m. – The Power of Live: How Data Driven Planners Are Driving Event Success

Live events generate an incredible amount of data and insights, but you have to commit to capturing, collecting, and using it. Learn about the tragedy of the ‘ghost attendee’ and what you can do about it, five ways to use data to better understand your event success, the available tools to capture event insights, real life examples of how planners are shaping the attendee journey, and actionable steps to get started. 1 CMP credit. More info/register.

Host: Meetings Today

Presenter: Kevin Yanushefski, product marketing manager, Cvent

Fri 7/7 at 12 p.m. – AIGA Slack: A New Tool for Chapter Leaders

Do your chapter leaders have an effective way to communicate and connect with National and each other? AIGA’s chapter leaders didn’t think so. Enter the picture: Slack. Learn how AIGA converted over 600 chapter leaders to using this new communication tool. Find out about their implementation and adoption processes as well as the key benefits and associated challenges. 1 CAE credit. More info/register.

Connect with fellow Component/Chapter Relations Professionals (CRPs) to network and discuss current chapter challenges, such as how to measure and increase the health of chapters; best practices for chapter operations (volunteer tools, processes, etc.); and how to get the right statistics to prevent national and chapter level members from leaving. Lunch provided. 1 CAE credit. Duration: 1 hour.